Response #7: Go Green Racer Go!

Mike Rdsenwald’s article, Fast Food, discusses the amazing features and development of the greenest race car ever made by England-native engineers of Warwick Innovative Manufacturing Research Center.  They proved that a race car does not have to be a gas-eater to be fast.  Their 135 MPH F1 race car, WorldFirst F3, is maintained and created from veggies and green products. Its source of fuel is leftover vegetable oil from fried fish and chips and has a two-liter biodiesel engine.  The design of this car features eco-friendly materials such as a steering wheel made out of carrot fibers hardened in eco-safe resin, soy bean oil and recycled polyester foamed seats, potato starch wing mirrors, cashew shell disc brakes, and a body made out of carbon fibers and recycled plastic bottles.  Not only is it created from green materials, but it runs green as well.  The engine is lubricated with plant oil and the radiators are coated with BASF PremAir, which helps the environment by turning ground-level ozone to oxygen.

This development has attracted various unnamed automobile companies and they are looking forward to see professionals behind the wheel of their green race car. The counter-arguments is that it costs $250,000 to create this green car.  But the outcome is worth it.  This breakthrough and innovative technology tells us that a eco-friendly environment has been taken into consideration.  It a stepping stone towards greener cars but most importantly, a greener environment.

Response #6: Environmentalists Vs. Conservationists – Battle For Renewable Energy

Electric Bugaboo by Tim Dickinson focuses his article towards the American population, especially those who are concerned about renewable-energy and the effects it has on the environment.  There are two sides to this movement.  One side is the environmentalists who want to hold off on the future climate problems by developing renewable power by solar and wind projects.  On the other side is the conservationists who would to anything to protect habitats and lands from being destroyed.  Renewable energy is very important in solving major environmental problems.  With the counter-arguments of the conservationists, the problems of pollution and increasing temperatures will be delayed.  The U.S.’ plan is to break away from utilizing oil and coal.  If these two assets become obsolete, using renewable-energy power is needed to become the primary source of power.  In order to go on with renewable-energy projects, they will have build on important land, which may destroy many habitats.  Although conservationist are aware of the positive effects that renewable energy create, they are still against it.  They spend most of their time fighting developers despite the fact that renewable energy is better for the environment in the long run.  They describe it as terrorism among wildlife.

CEO of BrightSource Energy, John Wooland, has been involved with renewable-energy since he received his M.B.A from Berkeley University.  His ambition to make a difference in the world led him base his company solely on solar energy.  They designed a project that may generate more energy at a low cost using 400,000 tons less CO2 emissions than a coal plant.  This development has caught the attention of many major utility companies in the United States.  Included in their project is a plan to create their solar power plant far away from important habitats, such as Broadwell dry lake, which was once proposed a nuclear waste dump.  But of course, many conservationist protested against the project; even the government.  Now there is no telling how BrightSource’s development may have an impact on the environment.

If I were to pursue this issue, I would do research on lands in the United States that may incorporate the development of renewable energy plants.  According to the article, just less than 2-percent of U.S. land is needed to power up the nation.  There is a lot land to spare in America.  Just have to have the perfect spot where conservationists may not have a problem with.  If this development really provides us a cleaner future, it will definitely help to widely disseminate this issue.

Response #9: Clean Bottles

The website Klean Kanteen is directed at selling eco friendly water bottles to consumers as an alternative to the pollutant mainstream bottles. Their water bottles incorporate a very solid basis of 18/8 steel which means that the steel has eighteen percent chromium and eight percent nickel (www.kleankanteen.com). The chromium is the element responsible for the shiny look of stainless steel, chromium forms a clear oxidation layer before iron, thus creating a reflective surface. This surface is also highly resistant to corrosion, and the addition of nickel improves the strength of the alloy. Paint on the water bottle contains no lead and is nontoxic, but the manufacturer is child minded and recommends the brushed surface in those instances. Caps for the water bottle are stainless steel and the tips for the water are a soft rubber polymer that does not contain BPA. This is especially important because the BPA is very damaging to humans and this water bottle company to be eco and human friendly. However, the manufacturer is in China according to the company website, and although the company has several inspections every year, China is notorious for it’s poor quality control (accidental or deliberate). Despite this, the water bottles have wide options including options for insulation, surface treatments, caps, and sizes. This gives the consumer excellent options and a great hope for a close match for their needs. The website maintains a professional appearance and employs a great variety of colors while remaining crisp and user friendly. By using healthy and clean products, the company hopes to stop the damage to the environment and people.

Response #6: A World All Their Own.

In a uniquely interesting article called “Nothing Wasted, Everything Gained”, authors Alan Weisman and Antonin Kratochvil bring forth insight into a world thought by many to be inexistant; a community that thrives using environmentally friendly industries producing zero emissions. The community, which goes by the name of Gaviotas, is a barren land which has a large reputation of being distinctly challenging to live on.  With the land’s ”infertile tropical plain,” crop growing itself is nearly impossible, but the Gaviotans have certainly made it possible.  Using resources such as solar “kitties” which purify their water which is reached using handpumps as well as water heaters which run on tropical winds, the Gaviotans are able to live comfortably while at the same time not destroying the natural habitat all around them.  Another interesting breakthrough came when the Gaviotans discovered that the Caribbean Pines originally from Honduras were able to grow well on the land and that the trees were natural producers of resin which is able to be harvested without destroying the trees.  Resin itself has many uses, and the byproduct of resin is all-natural marketable turpentine.  This discovery was like striking gold for the Gaviotans.  Also, the authors of this article bring up the amazing fact that living in a zero emissions community has done wonders for the environment which is proven by the natural habitat that has been restored all around Gaviota.  Not only a large plant community, but also deer, hawks and anteaters have made the environment surrounding Gaviotas their home.

Without even saying it, the argument here is inadvertantly in support of the lifestyle lived by the Gaviotans.  This article was very effective of discussing positive aspects of the community while no negatives were present throughout the entire article.  A counter argument was also inexistant although one might bring up the lack of certain medical resources as well as the lifestyle being more challenging than the general present day modern world.  Also, being in a community such as Gaviota must certainly shut some kind off door to the rest of the world.  The authors were very effective in showing support for a green lifestyle as well as describing how living in a way such as this will not only help the environment and restore wildlife, but also how living green can make land deemed uninhabital, now a perfectly livable area.

If I were to continue research on this topic I would begin by looking into all the resources that would not be availiable to me in a community such as this as well as the education that the people of Gaviota are recieving.  Good and bad must come with the territory, but in this article, only the good things were mentioned.  There has to be more to it than that and i am on a mission to discover both sides of the story!

Response #10: Mountains and Ice Worlds: Planet Earth and it’s Beauty

Planet Earth provides various episodes covering many regions of the world that have plenty of hidden beauty. Many are unaware of the wildlife and their survival tactics in different regions of the earth; however, Planet Earth welcomes us into the lives of a variety of wildlife and their habitats which are spread across the globe. These habitats come from numerous places, a variety of climates, and inhabit a wide variety of animals.

Episode 2 of the first season of Planet Earth, named “Mountains,” takes viewers to the top of some of the most commonly known and unknown mountains across the world. Ranging from the mountains of Patagonia to the mountains of the Andes, this episode takes you to the peak of many of mountains. In description of certain mountains, this episode provides a variety of wildlife that inhabit these mountains and their survival procedures, as these animals are forced to live in a variety of conditions. Specifically noted, in the Andes Mountains, this episode exposes viewers to the unstable mountain weather the wildlife inhabiting the Andres must undergo. Such information, which is commonly unknown, is often a surprise and quite interesting to many viewers.

“Ice Worlds,” episode 5 of Planet Earth also takes viewers to various places across the globe. Not only does this episode expose viewers to the various ice worlds across the globe, it also informs viewers of the life living in these ice worlds and how they survive in such harsh conditions. One commonly known animal that lives in the ice worlds is the penguin. This episode describes  in great detail the reproduction process of the penguins and how their newborn eggs survive in the cold conditions. Many people are unaware of the strange transformations these worlds undergo; however, within this episode specifically, many are informed of the conditions of the land, the wildlife and the circumstances these wildlife must live in and how they adapt to them.

Both episodes provide viewers with not only the beauty of these hidden places that commonly go unknown, but also useful information that provides a better understanding of the locations themselves and the wildlife that inhabit them. The beauty in each video is remarkable and provides an interesting layout of the lands that keep viewers tuned in for the factual information as well.

Response #9: The Green Guide

National Geographic’s Green Guide Website is a very resourceful website offering great information in regards to “Green Living.” The main page provides various links to information on how to make your home and garden more green, how to choose travel and transportation that is supportive of a clean environment, information on green foods and also individual buying guides. This website even provides quizzes on all of these topics and plenty more.

The main page provides various articles on environmental news and also has links to pictures and videos supporting these articles. There is also “The Great Energy Challenge,” which provides various meters, quizzes and diets to allow individuals to track their own use of energy, home heating and other resources. If individuals would rather not read an article on how to go green, there are numerous videos that viewers can watch to learn of ways to make their own home and environment more green.

By providing various links and activities for viewers, this website can be accessed by multiple types of people and opens the spectrum of going green to a wider variety of people. The website is more than just an informative website due to its interesting eye-catching photos, useful videos and the wide variety of quizzes it offers.  This website can be accessed by those who want information on how to live a greener lifestyle, by those who are already living the lifestyle and would like to measure how green their life truly is, and even by those who simply want to check the progression of a greener world. With so many options, this website can be very effective in its efforts to make the world greener and also promotes a safer and more clean environment.

Response #8: Development and the Environment: Coexisting in Alaska

Don Young argues in “Oil Exploration can be a Boon to Alaskans and the Environment” that for many years, development and the environment have coexisted in Alaska. This argument is in support of oil development in the coastal plain of Alaska. Oil development has had a very positive influence on the lives of Alaskans. Because of the positive influences it has had, Alaskan natives, along with more than 70% of Alaskans, fully support oil exploration and development in the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Since it is a debate of whether or not to allow oil exploration and development in a small portion of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, this article states many facts as to why Alaskans support this and also how it will positively influence their life and the world around them. In opposition to oil exploration and development, others want to turn the land into a permanent wilderness area. Supporters claim that 99% of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge actually won’t even be touched during oil exploration and development. Young even compares the amount of land that will be used in the exploration and development to building an airport in South Carolina.

Prudhoe Bay has been developing and exploring oil for 20 years and is proof that oil development can occur an “environmentally sound manner in the Arctic,” according to Young. This article is clearly for those who are concerned or interested in the debate of oil exploration and development in the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. By providing numerous facts as to why it should be allowed, the article is very effective at portraying a positive longterm effect of oil exploration and development, not only for Alaska but for our country overall.

Response #7: The Greenest Race Car

Mike Rdsenwald’s article “Fast Food” is not quite an article describing what one would imagine after reading the article title. The term “fast food” is referring to the biodegradable racing car created from vegetables that can reach a top speed of 135 mph. Warwick Innovative Manufacturing Research Centre in England created this green car in hopes for cleaner racing environment. By creating such a race car, they were proving that driving fast cars and having a clean and protected environment can actually coexist with one another.

The WorldFirst F3, the F1 race car created from vegetables, has a two-liter biodiesel engine that is fueled by vegetable oil and a body created from recycled plastic bottles and carbon fiber. The car is truly biodegradable, from the engine to the body, fuel, seats, brakes and even the steering wheel.

With such a creation, this race car can be a leading example for many other companies that speed and a clean environment are possible at the same time. Rdsenwald provides his audience with knowledge of a creation that many do not know about, and with this knowledge of the wise and safe creation, many can then promote others to follow in the same direction as the Warwick Innovative Manufacturing Research Centre. Since it has been done, and a race car has been created that is actually safe for the environment, many others can now use this car as a form of motivation to also do the same.  In the future, we can only be hopeful that there will be more cars created in the same fashion as the WorldFirst F3, as the greater number of green cars that are present  in our environment, the cleaner and safer our environment is.

Response #9: “King Corn”

Although they discovered some interesting information, Ian Cheney and Sam Cullman in “King Corn” did not plan their project very well because their goal changed several times, they never accomplished what they set out to, and most of the research did not seem very authoritative.

The documentary had some revealing information about the corn industry in the U.S. It talked about how it is grown, what it is used for, and the economic aspects involved in producing it.

However, the project which the film was based around needed to be better planned. The film had a wandering feel to it, in which the point was never very clear and the direction seemed to keep changing.

The goal of the two friends was never very clear. It seemed to change each time a new piece of information was discovered. When the movie opened they were simply trying to find out how their diets affected them. Then they wanted to find out it was that the primary source of carbon in their bodies was corn. Towards the end of the movie it seemed to lose all direction and simply devolved into random fact gathering about the industry.

The goal of the project which was central to the film was never actually achieved, either. In fact, relatively early on it became clear that they would never be able to follow their crop of corn into the market as they had originally planned. After this information was introduced, it seemed like continuing to grow the corn was a pointless exercise.

Despite the fact that the movie ended up being little more than information gathering, the sources were generally not as authoritative as one might hope. They spent much time asking questions of the local farmers and townspeople, as well as average citizens in other parts of the country.

Because of poor planning on the part of the friends the central premise of the movie felt like a pointless endeavor, and the film became little more than a collection of facts.

Response # 10: Scientific Whale Watching

There was once an illusion that certain areas of the world were pristine, and still untouched by human influence. However, according to Dan Ferber in his article, “Sperm Whales Bear Testimony to Ocean Pollution,” pollutants have been found in many mammals, including sperm whales. Persistent organic pollutants (POP), and Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), were among the pollutants found in sperm whales of the Pacific by the Odyssey research vessel. The Data was collected over a five year period, by shooting sperm whales with arrows to retrieve specimens of skin and blubber. The 424 samples that were obtained were then analyzed by Celine Godard of the University of Southern Maine. The reports came back showing that the whales tested near Mexico, and California, had twice the normal level of the enzyme CYP1A1. The enzymes function is to help rid the organism of toxic pollutants. Additionally, ecotoxicologist David Evers found that mercury levels varied in sperm whales according to the region they were found. Ever’s believes that this data could be used to measure pollution levels of mercury in different regions. The data collected from the research in Ferber’s article points out just how interconnected the web of life really is. Just as air pollution has affected many organisms on land, water pollution has affected many organisms in the sea. From the tiniest plankton, to the giant sperm whale, none of the creatures of the ocean have been able to escape unscathed by the actions of humankind.